Groundbreaking ceremony for Hale Makana o Mo‘ili‘ili in the Star Advertiser
In the October 26, 2021 article, Old housing in Moiliili cleared for affordable midrise, by Andrew Gomes, he writes about our groundbreaking ceremony for Hale Makana o Mo‘ili‘ili.
With a long-standing but soon-to-be-uprooted tangerine tree as a backdrop, a small piece of a Moiliili neighborhood was blessed Tuesday for a big addition of affordable housing.
The blessing by Kahu Kordell Kekoa was part of a ceremonial groundbreaking for a 105-unit midrise apartment building on a site previously occupied by 26 residences in several low-rise apartments and one single-family home dating as far back as 1928.
Kali Watson, head of the project’s development team, said the coming six-story Hale Makana o Mo‘ili‘ili apartment complex reserved for seniors with low incomes is one of several positive changes in store for the community where past change, including business closures and homeless encampments, hasn’t always been good.
“Changes are coming,” he said. “This project is part of that change.”
Watson, a former head of the state Department of Hawaiian Home Lands, once lived in the area with his grandmother and recalled much that had changed in the community since it was his home, including a park that replaced Honolulu’s main sports stadium, revamping the fixture bar Anna Bananas and the end of an era for The Willows restaurant.
“A lot has changed since then,” he said. “To me the future is bright.”
The site for Watson’s project spans a corner of Algaroba Street and Makahiki Way, where neighboring blocks include Old Stadium Park, the historic Waiola Shave Ice store and the McCully-Moiliili Public Library. It’s also close to the shuttered Bowl-O-Drome property where DHHL plans to build its own rental apartment building.